


falling like the stars (we're falling in love)

by mintwhiskey



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, I tried to write fluff, also pre-break up content, and so does this fandom, anyways idk more tags, bc we deserved that, but these two smols deserve to have fluff written about them, but this is the best yall are getting from me, i'm not sure what this really is tbhh, i've never written fluff before so, idk if you can even call this fluff, just a drabble of our soft girls being soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-25 12:38:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19745932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mintwhiskey/pseuds/mintwhiskey
Summary: some times, all it takes is one wish, one heartbeat, one little moment.orjust a little glimpse of penelope park and josie saltzman falling in love.





	falling like the stars (we're falling in love)

**Author's Note:**

> okay so i was supposed to write fluff for miss richelly for her birthday in may which i started but couldn't continue and gave up ((sorry relli sksjsj))... but then oomf got me in my feels which inspired a completely different idea and here we are; happy super belated birthday tiny, hope you enjoy :))
> 
> this happened because she likes the stars.

  


  


Josie is pulled out of the intricate world of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth by the sound of something hitting against glass somewhere nearby.

Raising her eyes from the pages of the book cradled between her hands, she does a quick scan of the room- taking it all in, searching for the cause of disturbance. Everything seems perfectly normal and in it's place; she's alone in her and Lizzie's bedroom just as she has been for the past two and a half hours, much like most of the day, and nothing is making sound except for the gentle ticking of the wall clock. 

  


Her brows furrow and she shakes her head, dropping her gaze back to the book, putting the thought out of her mind and focusing back on the story. She's two words into the newest sentence when the sound rings through the room again, a lot sharper this time around.

Josie's head whips up and she drops the book on her bed, shuffling to her feet and looking around the room once more. It takes another couple seconds before something hits the glass of her window, causing the thudding noise again and Josie's eyebrows shoot up on her forehead.

_Oh._

She moves towards the window in quick steps and brushes the curtain aside, unlocking the latch and pushing the window open all the way. The night wind hits her face in a rush of cold as she leans out the window slightly to take a look. Her eyes fall on the girl standing on the ground two stories below, at the foot of the old tree that reaches Josie's window and her mouth drops open slightly,

" _Penelope_ ," She whisper-yells at her girlfriend who's looking up at her, a couple more pebbles ready in her palm to be catapulted up at Josie's window, "What in the world are you doing out here?"

  


The dark haired witch drops the pebbles on the ground, quickly dusts her hands off her jeans and clears her throat dramatically,

" _But, soft!_ " She calls in her best theatrical imitation, placing one of her hands on her heart and holding out the other up at Josie, " _What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Josette is the sun!_ "

It takes all of Josie's willpower not to burst out into laughter for the sake of the sleeping inhabitants of the school. She bites down on her lip and shakes her head, crossing her arms on the windowsill and leaning forward,

"It's almost midnight."

"Technicalities," Penelope drops her arms and turns a blinding smile up at her, "Well then, Rapunzel, are you gonna let down your hair or what?"

Josie holds back another laugh but ends up grinning anyways, "I'm afraid my hair isn't long enough yet."

Penelope lets out an exaggerated sigh, "You're no fun."

  


And before Josie can comprehend what's going on, Penelope has swung herself on to the tree and is climbing up the length of it, from one branch to another, with the speed and agility of a panther. Josie's shout of warning and horror dies in her throat as she watches Penelope scale the tree like it's all she's been doing her entire life. Her balance and hold and footing is insane and before Josie knows it, Penelope is there- two seconds away from climbing through her window.

"If you don't mind, darling," She gestures at Josie to move aside, poised to leap any second- and Josie stumbles back, allowing Penelope to duck and slip through the window and inside her bedroom in one swift movement.

Josie stares at her, trying to wrap her mind around what just happened, "Did you just climb a whole tree in three inch heels?"

  


"I- did?" Penelope sounds surprised at herself, not even out of breath- and looks down at her heeled boots before meeting Josie's eyes again and grinning, "Looks like we just found another thing I'm naturally good at."

"Pen," Josie says reproachfully, heart sinking at the thought of all the ways this could've gone wrong and Penelope could've gotten hurt, "Why couldn't you just take the stairs?"

"I could," Penelope says nonchalantly, brushing invisible dirt off her leather jacket and smiles, quick and alive, "But then _that_ wouldn't have the romantic streak of me risking my life to climb through your window to see you."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, a smile breaks across Josie's face at the words. She breathes in and watches Penelope, who's looking back at her with luminous eyes; she looks immaculate in her dark jeans and black jacket and midnight blue top and her hair done up in a messy bun, perfectly composed and calm and not a hair out of place, looking like she's just stepped off a magazine cover and nothing like she'd just climbed up an entire tree within a matter of minutes.

There's a lot of things Josie wants to say to her right now but she settles for, "I thought you hated _Romeo and Juliet._ "

"I _do_ ," Penelope shrugs, tilts her head, "But even still, climbing up to your girlfriend's window is an extremely romantic gesture and I can't believe that imbecile, good-for-nothing prat made it _his_ stupid brand- if only I existed back then, I would've done it first, no problem."

Josie let's out a laugh then, unable to hold it back anymore, "I don't doubt it."

"But anyways," Penelope says with a smile, stepping closer to Josie and reaching up to touch a stray strand of Josie's hair, "I did not climb up a tree to waste my time with you in talking about Romeo and his less than sensible antics."

"Alright," Josie breathes in very slow, every fiber of her being suddenly hyperaware of Penelope's proximity to her, "What, then?"

"You," Penelope twists her fingers in the lock of Josie's hair, voice low and gentle, "I'm here to talk about you."

Josie's heart stutters, "What _about_ me?"

Penelope watches her for a moment, head tilted slightly before she flashes her a quick smile, "Get dressed, we're going out."

"Huh?" Josie blinks, taken aback by the absurd statement, "Wait, what?"

"Change," Penelope drops her hand from Josie's face and tugs gently on her nightshirt, "Even though you look _incredibly_ cute in your Charmander PJ's."

"Shut up," Josie grumbles, embarrassment heating her cheeks, causing the shorter girl to crack a smile, "And we can't go out right now, it's 11 PM."

"So?" Penelope lifts one shoulder, "Last I checked, neither of us would be turning into a pumpkin when it hits midnight."

"Shut up," Josie says again, trying to fight a smile, "Penelope, be _serious_."

"I _am_ ," The raven haired witch emphasizes, trading her smile for a more serious expression, "Get changed. And wear something warm, it's surprisingly cold outside."

"Pen," Josie hesitates a second, searching for words, "I'm sorry. I'd love to go, you know I would, but I've had a very-"

"Crappy day, I _know_ ," Penelope finishes for her, her voice soft, "Why _else_ do you think I'm climbing through your window at 11 in the night?"

Josie pauses, stares at the girl before her, completely taken aback.

  


"You've been holed up in your room almost the entire day," Penelope adds, eyes searching Josie's face, "And I've been wanting to come see you this whole time, but Dorian wouldn't let me off the hook with the library research- but I'm here now, so please- come with me."

Josie blinks, something warm beginning to flutter in her stomach and she tries not to think about it, "But where would we even _go_ at this time?"

"Not too far," Penelope says casually and steps around Josie with a fleeting smile, "Just down to the lake."

"The lake?" Josie repeats, incredulous, turning around to look at Penelope who's flopped down on her bed now.

  


"Yes, Jojo, _the lake,_ " Penelope reaches for the abandoned book lying on the covers, "The one on the school grounds, about a few kilometers from where we are right now."

  


Josie fights the urge to roll her eyes, "What are we going to the lake for? At this hour?"

" _Pride and Prejudice_ , huh?" The shorter girl doesn't seem to have heard the question, her attention caught on the book as she runs her fingers over the title page, " _'Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can.'_ "

  


Josie's heart does a little drum-roll in her chest; Penelope has _always_ had an impeccable skill of being able to quote any and every book at any given moment, a quote or a passage always ready at the tip of her tongue- give her the name of a book and she'd respond with a quote within a moment and Josie has always found that particular thing about her insanely enchanting.

Penelope raises her eyes to Josie, a smile playing on her lips, "Never pegged you for a Mr. Darcy type of girl, Jojo."

This time Josie can't hold back the eye roll, "Well, I _am_ dating _you_ , aren't I?"

Penelope laughs, carefree and bright, " _Touche_ ," She says, eyes twinkling with mirth, "But I can't say I don't agree, to _some_ extent."

"I'm not surprised," Josie says dryly but she can't fight the smile that makes it to her face, she thinks she doesn't even want to fight it; Penelope's humor is infectious, always has been, and when she's in a mood to laugh, it's impossible not to let yourself get carried away in her current, "And are you gonna answer me or not?"

  


"Hmm?" Penelope fixes her gazes on her again, the traces of her smile still present, "What was it again, babe?"

Josie's heart skips a beat at the term of endearment, just like it always does, every single time. She doesn't remember how many times Penelope has addressed her with that nickname but she does remember that her heart has _always_ missed a beat at the sound of it. She shakes her head a little, trying to focus on the conversation at hand.

"I _asked_ ," She clears her throat a little, "Why are we going to the lake at this time of the night?"

Penelope folds her arms under her head, "Skinny dipping."

Josie's jaw slackens, "Penelope!" 

"Do you mind?" Penelope raises an eyebrow, a smirk curving around her mouth.

Warmth floods Josie's face for some reason and her stomach flutters and she doesn't know why that's happened. The change in her expressions doesn't go unnoticed by Penelope and she throws her head back, eyes closed and lets out a laugh that rings out through the room and settles inside Josie's chest, resonating with her heartstrings.

  


Failing to come up with a way to deal with the unexpected feeling, the taller girl helplessly chucks a small cushion at Penelope which hits her lightly in the face, effectively shutting her laughter off.

Penelope removes the cushion from her face, grinning at Josie, " _Ouch._ "

"Are you done being annoying?" Josie crosses her arms on her chest, trying her hardest to sound irritated.

"No."

Another cushion comes flying at Penelope's face but she raises a hand lazily, causing the cushion to freeze in it's motion, just hanging there in the air.

Josie can't help but raise her eyebrows in surprise, her annoyance forgotten momentarily, "Impressive."

"Thanks, darling," Penelope smirks, gives her wrists a small flick and the cushion goes floating back to it's original place, "Now, what were you saying?"

  


Josie wants to jump out of her window and it must show on her face because Penelope cracks a giant grin, holding up both her hands in placating manner,

"Okay, okay, I _know_ what you were saying," Her tone is devoid of any more teasing, "And to answer your question, it's not much; we're just going to have a walk around the lake, sit down in the open air, talk about our day. It'll make you feel better. I promise."

Josie considers this for a moment; having a moonlit stroll with Penelope under the night sky, just the two of them with no one else to interrupt them- it all sounds too perfect to pass up, especially considering the fact that they don't usually get to spend a lot of time on their own, being almost always surrounded by one or more of their friends. And Josie wants so badly to take this opportunity, but then again-

  


"It's late, Pen," She starts, hating the fact that she has to turn this down and not wanting to do it, not even one bit, "And Lizzie is-"

"With your mother, war-prepping for Miss Mystic Falls next year," Penelope says easily, catching the other girl off guard, "She won't be coming back any time soon."

Josie opens her mouth and then closes it then opens it again, "How do _you_ know that?"

Penelope meets her eyes, dropping her chin and inch and lips pulling up in a conspiratorial smirk, "Magic."

"You're so _annoying_ , oh my _god_."

"Hey, that's not an inconceivable thought," Penelope holds up her hand and wiggles her fingers, "Since, you know, I _am_ a witch and all."

"You're my girlfriend and I adore the hell out of you,Pen," Josie grits her teeth, fingers twitching into fists, "But I _swear_ on heavens you make me want to pull my own hair out."

  


  


"Please don't pull you hair out," Penelope smiles, all sweet and demure as if she wasn't just being insufferable one second ago, "I love your hair."

  


  


Groaning, Josie pushes her palm onto her own face, trying to hide her smile and praying to all the deities in the universe for just a bit of patience.

"If you rolled your eyes again, they'd _actually_ pop out of your skull."

Josie drops her hand from her face to glare at her girlfriend, "Well, if you weren't so fond of never giving a straight answer for once, I wouldn't have to roll my eyes every two seconds."

"True," Penelope clicks her tongue against her teeth, "But then again, where would be the fun in _that_?"

"Penelope Park, I swear to _god_ -"

"Okay, fine." She laughs again, low and short, "I know this because I went to see your mother for something before coming here and Lizzie was in her room, breaking down over the dress she's going to wear and devising all the possible ways she can take out the rest of the contestants without anyone getting suspicious."

  


She pauses for a beat, then looks at Josie with a dazed expression, "Also, did you know she has a _whole box_ of research on all the previous winners throughout the _entire_ history of the pageant?"

"Yes," Josie nods, "She has _two_ boxes, actually."

Penelope's bewildered look multiples by tenfold, "Oh god."

Josie gives a nonchalant shrug, smiling a little at Penelope's expression, "Lizzie's been planning and dreaming of winning this pageant since we were 4. She wants to _win._ Period."

"You don't say," Penelope twists her mouth in amusement, "But anyways, I'm not here to talk about Lizzie and her lifelong goal of being crowned Miss Mystic Falls."

"Oh yes, you're here to talk about _me_ ," Josie holds back her smile, "Boring."

"On the contrary," Penelope's gaze on her is intent, as though Josie is the sole focus of all her attention and her tone is serious, "I can't think of a better topic to spend my energy and my time and my words on."

  


Josie's heart flips over in her chest again, hitching a little before beginning to pick up. They've been together, her and Penelope, for almost 7 months now and yet Penelope still manages to make her heart flutter and skip and jump with everything she says, everything she does, every single day.

Josie could never really comprehend the idea of getting butterflies in one's stomach, unable to understand _how_ it was possible or why people felt it. But that changed the day Penelope Park set foot on Salvatore's grounds; all shades of exquisite and grace, with her wicked smiles and luminescent eyes, letting loose a hoard of butterflies in Josie's stomach the very first time they held eye contact. And there hasn't been a single day since then that Josie Saltzman hasn't experienced those fluttering butterflies and that dizzying high that Penelope makes her feel with every touch, every word, every look. She doesn't think there will _ever_ be a day where she doesn't feel like this.

"Jojo?"

Josie blinks, her train of thoughts breaking, "Huh?

  


Penelope presses her lips together, fighting off a smile, "As cute as you are standing there, all zoned out and lost in your head, I really do need you to move your butt and get changed. We're already late as it is."

Josie rolls her eyes again, unable to stop herself, but moves nonetheless, despite having a hundred and one questions swarming her head. She makes her way over to the wardrobe, pulling out a pair of jeans and an oversized hoodie, keeping Penelope's warning about the cold in mind. She heads to the bathroom with the clothes in her hands and changes as quickly as possible, throwing her hair up in a ponytail before walking back into the room. She finds Penelope still sprawled on her bed, now engrossed completely in the book in her hand.

Hazel green eyes drift up to her the sound of her footsteps and Penelope smiles when she sees her. There's something so grounding in the way Penelope smiles at her, Josie reflects for the millionth time since meeting her- it's warm and welcoming and genuine and it makes Josie feel substantial every time; makes her feel solid in her own skin, makes her feel like she is the _reason_ , like she matters, like she is _seen_. But then again, Penelope has _always_ made her feel like that, not just with the way she smiles at Josie, but with _everything_ she does. From the first moment they met.

Josie can't ever seem to decide if she loves the way Penelope _looks_ at her or the way she _smiles_ at her more.

"Ready?" Penelope bookmarks the page, leaving the book closed on the bedside table and gets to her feet.

  


  


"Uh huh," The brunette tugs at one of the strings on her hoodie, shuffling on her feet, "Is this warm enough?"

  


  


"It's perfect," Penelope steps closer, brushing her fingers against Josie's elbow, "I need to wash my hands and then we can go."

She steps past Josie and into the bathroom as Josie quickly finds her sneakers and slips them on. Just as she's done, Penelope walks back into the room, drying her hands off a towel. She spreads the towel over the back of a chair and reaches out to take Josie's hand, "Come on."

Penelope moves towards the window, gently tugging her along and Josie blanches, "Pen, I'm _not_ climbing down a tree!"

"For heaven's _sake_ , Jo," Penelope rolls her eyes, "I'm _not_ making you climb down a tree. As _clumsy_ as you are, I wouldn't let you climb the stairs if I could."

"Then what are we doing at the window?" Josie pushes, "The door is the other way."

"I'm well aware," Penelope deadpans, "What I'm doing, is giving you a little adventure. Figured it's about time you got some of that in your life."

"Penelope," Josie tugs her hand out of her girlfriend's when she moves to open the window again, "I don't want to fall down two stories. And we both know I _will_."

Penelope shrugs, "I'll catch you."

" _Please,_ " Josie gives her a look, "You're barely pocketsize and if I fall on you, you'll be squashed. So no thanks, I'll pass."

  


" _Excuse_ me," Penelope puts her hands on her hips, expression offended, "I'm _perfectly_ sized with 5 feet 3 inches. _And_ a half."

Josie continues to give her the same look, not budging one bit.

"Plus I have magic," Penelope says stubbornly, "I can take care of both of us just fine."

Josie stands her ground, arms crossed over her chest.

Heaving out a sigh, Penelope regards her with an exasperated expression before she gives in, " _Fine_."

Josie beams instantly, "You're the best."

  


Penelope shakes her head with another eye roll, "Don't I know it?"

But her lips are curving in a smile and her tone is gentle and Josie feels her heart flutter for the hundredth time within half an hour. She doesn't quite understand why it happens, even to this day, even after so many months of being together- but she knows that it's a feeling she isn't willing to trade for anything in the world, it's a feeling she would never want to give up.

Oblivious to her thoughts, Penelope offers her hand again and Josie takes it, marvels in the way their palms fit into one another, in the way their fingers slot together, like perfect puzzle pieces made to fit.

Their fingers entwined, Penelope leads her out of the room through the door, letting it fall shut behind them. But as soon as they step into the deserted corridor, realization hits Josie like a brick to the face and she halts momentarily,

"Pen, it's 11 PM."

Penelope begins her stride down the length of the corridor, Josie hurriedly keeping up, "Excellent observation skills, Jojo."

" _Penelope!_ " Josie seethes out in a whisper, "It's _11 PM_ , which means it's _way_ past curfew!"

"And?"

  


" _And?_ " Josie stares at the side of Penelope's face in disbelief, "What do you mean _and_? You know _very_ well what happens if we get caught outside after curfew."

"I do," Penelope confirms, her tone light and carefree, "But it's a good thing we won't get caught."

"Oh we won't, will we?" Josie says in a flat tone.

Penelope throws her a quick, sideways smile, confidence dripping from every word, "No, darling, we won't."

Josie decides not to argue further; she's known Penelope long and well enough to not question her abilities at doing things she should not be doing and still being able to get away after doing them. Josie knows for a fact that if there's one person in this entire school that can cause a tsunami of trouble and still get away with it without a cost, it's Penelope Park.

  


And yeah, her inner perfect, dutiful and disciplined model student with the squeaky clean record is freaking over the prospect of breaking curfew, of doing something that is never expected of her in a thousand years and at the thought of getting caught and being handed out some sort of punishment for it- but there's another part of her, another voice in her head that's telling her that it's fine; she's with Penelope and that means it'll be okay, knows she would never let her get in any trouble, knows that with Penelope, she's safe.

Always has been. Always will be. No matter what.

They silently maneuver their way through the empty hallways, down the grand staircase, across the hall, through the kitchen and out the back door without encountering a single patrolling teacher, to Josie's utter astonishment.

Once they step outside, Penelope tightens her hold on Josie's hand as she begins to lead them down the winding path to the lake. The night is cold, just as Penelope had warned, and the breeze hits Josie's face every couple of seconds, filling her lungs with the crisp coldness of the night air. And it just feels so good to breathe it in, letting it spill like cold water through her bloodstream. Lifting her eyes to the clouds, Josie is met with a million stars twinkling down at her- a splash of silver sparkle over the stretch of the dark sky.

The school grounds are completely empty, as expected at this late hour, and illuminated by magical lamps lit every few yards. It's the beginning of fall and the countless trees lining the school property are all turning yellow, shedding leaves, preparing for something new, ready for change. With every gust of wind, more and more leaves fall of their branches, twirling in the air and swishing around Josie's shoes as she walks, trying not to step on too many of them.

The two girls trudge down the dusty path in easy silence; Penelope doesn't bring up the topic of Josie's crappy day, doesn't push, doesn't prod and Josie knows it's because Penelope _knows_ that if it was something worth talking about, Josie wouldn't hesitate a heartbeat in telling her. And if Josie hasn't said a word, Penelope knows it's because it's nothing specific, knows it's just one of those days for Josie, ones that everyone has every once in a while. Penelope lets her breathe because she knows that she's given Josie enough trust and confidence and comfort in herself that Josie can talk to her about anything and everything- any day, any time. And that is something she has with Penelope that she treasures more than all the gold and silver in the world.

  


Neither of them speak until they climb down the last slope and the lake comes into view a minute later and Josie lets out a small gasp at the sight that greets her with it.

The enormous lake is stretched out of for miles and miles; glittering like dark silk under a darker sky, gentle waves lifting up and down with the wind and the soft, calming sounds of them cutting through the night. On the shore, a good couple meters away from the lake is a picnic laid out across the grass- complete with a blanket and a wicker basket and two floating lanterns, magicked to be suspended motionless in the air over it.

Josie realizes she's stopped walking when Penelope is jerked to a stop as well, their hands still linked.

"Jo?" Penelope is looking at her, both of them facing each other now, "You okay?"

Josie meets her eyes, blinks, "You set up a picnic for us?"

  


"Yeah," Penelope's eyes slide over her face, reading her, "You weren't at lunch or dinner and I knew you'd starve yourself until breakfast tomorrow, maybe even later. So I snuck out some food from the kitchen and thought we could have a bit of a past-dinnertime snack."

The words are lost on Josie all of a sudden, her mind going blank except one thought blaring across it in maximum volume and it's how much Penelope Park cares for her, how she cares for her more than anyone ever has. Josie thinks it might also be more than anyone ever _will_ , thinks no one else is even capable of caring for her more than this.

  


At Josie's lack of response, Penelope's face forms a bit of an alarmed expression and she shifts a little bit closer to her,

"Jo?" She urges in a gentle voice, "Are you with me?"

Josie blinks. Then again and again and again because there must be something caught in her eyes and her vision is suddenly a bit blurry. She shakes her head an inch, takes a deep breath and raises her gaze to meet Penelope's again.

"Thank you," Her fingers press tighter against the ones entwined between them, hoping it will convey something more than her words can, "You went through all this trouble just to.. for me.. I- _thank you._ "

Penelope looks completely thrown off for a second before she recovers and smiles and it lights up the entire night, "You're very welcome, Jo."

They stand there under the open sky, gazes locked and soaking in each other's smiles and Josie wants this moment here, with Penelope, to last forever.

"Come on," The raven haired girl stirs first, flashing another grin before turning on her heel and leading the way again, "You know what they say, it's a sin to keep food waiting."

Josie follows behind, her mind still processing the whole thing. Penelope brings her to the spread out blanket and lets go of her hand, gesturing at her to sit down. Wordlessly, Josie kicks off her shoes and settles down on the soft cloth, watching as Penelope does the same and takes a seat across from her.

The next few minutes are passed in comfortable silence while Penelope takes out a Tupperware container of mini sandwiches and another one of cookies and a box with the logo of the only French bakery in town.

Josie picks up the box, opens it slightly to reveal a dozen of her favorite pastries, beignets. Her eyes drift up Penelope in wonder, "Where did you get these?"

Penelope pauses in the process of taking out a flask and two paper cups out of the basket, gaze focusing on the box in Josie's hand and she shrugs,

"Your dad made Jed and his croonies volunteer for community service for that fiasco from Tuesday," She grins a bit at the memory, "They had to go into Mystic Falls today and I thought beignets might cheer you up- so I got Jed to bring me back a box."

Josie's eyebrows flick up in surprise, "Since when does _Jed_ listen to anyone?"

The smirk that breaks across Penelope's face is equal parts devilish and thrilling, "Since I told him that if he doesn't do it, the next time he turns, the tail is staying."

"Pen!" Josie let's out a strangled sound, "You can't just.."

"Calm down, babe," Penelope laughs, hands working effortlessly as she put some sandwiches and cookies on a paper plate for Josie, "I'm kidding."

Josie eyes her wearily, not being stupid enough to put blackmail and threats past Penelope Park, "Are you, really?"

"Of course," The other girl replies easily, her tone mild, "I wanted the pastries, he wanted some of my, uh, special herbs- so we made a deal."

"Oh _god,_ no," Josie presses a hand to her face, torn between laughing and worrying, "Not any of your sex herbs again."

"Relax, Jojo," Penelope's laugh is clear, full of amusement, "It was just some magically enhanced weed. He'll be okay."

Josie highly doubts that statement and can't find any sort of comfort in it, knowing full well the effect Penelope's magic herbs have, having witnessed countless students engage in countless disasters while being high on them; the witches trying to turn the forest into a live-action Jurassic World theme park with the werewolves serving as the dinosaurs wasn't that long ago, after all.

"Here you go," Penelope holds out the plate to her, eyes crinkled in a smile.

Josie shakes her head, hoping to shake out every other thought except Penelope right here, right now. She doesn't particularly feel like eating but Penelope is sitting there, watching her with careful eyes and Josie thinks about how far she's gone out of her way to look after Josie, how much much care and effort this girl puts in for her, every single day- and Josie knows she can never deny her anything, knows that she doesn't want to.

So she reaches out and takes the plate, offering a quiet thanks to Penelope, who's biting into her own sandwich and responds with a smile hidden behind said sandwich.

  


They make small talk as they eat; Penelope telling her about the research project she's helping Dorian with and Josie listens intently, hanging on to every word that falls from Penelope's lips, soaking in the sound of her voice and submerging deep under. The lake hums and swishes in the background and the stars gaze down, silently watching the two girls that are lost to everything in the universe except each other.

"I forgot to ask," Josie brushes a cookie crumb off her chin as they finish up their food, suddenly remembering, "Why did you go to see my mom earlier?"

"To ask her to give me special permission to do this outside after curfew," Penelope looks at her, all soft eyes and kind smiles, "I knew that if I had the headmistress's permission, it wouldn't be a problem if we got caught."

"And," Josie blinks, struggling to process it all, "She just _allowed_ you all this?"

"Well, I can be _very_ persuasive when I want to be, Jojo," Penelope tilts her head, eyes full of her signature mischief, "And I _am_ kind of very hard to not oblige when I turn my charm up to max."

Josie tries and fails _miserably_ to hold back her grin, giving in to whatever power Penelope has always had over her that makes her capable of bringing a smile to Josie's face- any time, anywhere, no matter how Josie is feeling in that moment.

"You're such a dork," The taller girl shakes her head again, her smile seemingly plastered to her face, "The biggest dork I know."

Penelope laughs, short and easy and Josie can't help but mentally pat herself on the back for accomplishing that. There's something she finds extremely euphoric about being able to make Penelope laugh; it brings her a sense of peace, a light feeling in her chest that makes her feel giddy and every time Penelope so much as smiles because of her, Josie feels her heart expand and then melt and then beat again, all for this _one_ girl.

Once Penelope's laughter subsides, she opens those shimmering eyes and focuses on Josie, making the other girl feel as though she's pressed under a million tons all of a sudden.

"If you must know, though," Penelope takes a minute in-between and finishes her sandwich, dusts her hands off, "I told her how you were holed up in your room most of the day and that you weren't at dinner either and that I needed to get you out for a while. I think she got a bit bewildered by me just laying the plan out for her and basically _telling_ her I was taking you out after curfew, instead of asking for _permission_ \- so she kind of just blinked at me a lot and nodded a bit in the end."

Josie gapes at Penelope, dumbfounded.

"I swear I meant to _ask_ for permission," Penelope spreads her hands out, palms up, "I went in there with the intention of asking, but I kinda just ended up _informing_ your mother what I was going to do and then bolted."

"So basically, you literally _bewildered_ my mom into allowing you to break curfew," Josie stares at her girlfriend, who looks a bit disorientated as if she hadn't thought of the situation like that, "You _really_ just did that."

"I-," Penelope blinks, looking completely thrown off now, "I think I did."

  


Josie can't barricade the laughter that spills from her then, unable to control how she has to put her plate down and double over, her shoulders shaking and the air running out of her lungs with every beat.

"Shut _up_ ," She hears Penelope grumble but she can also hear the other girl's laughter laced through her words, "You're literally the worst, Jo. Shut up."

Josie's forced to stop laughing when her lungs beg her for air a while later, almost collapsing with the lack of it. She straightens up, gasping for air- her vision blurry from the tears in her eyes and her grin so wide, her cheeks ache.

She finds Penelope already watching her, lips curved in a smile as soft as velvet, eyes lit up brighter than the cold moon above them. She's looking at Josie so intently, as though she's a miracle Penelope hadn't expected, as though she's never seen anyone or anything so utterly consuming and the intensity of that gaze makes Josie's breath hitch, makes her feel like her blood is catching fire. Penelope's so lost in staring at her that it takes her almost a minute to realize that Josie's looking back.

Her smile fades into a faux annoyed expression when she's caught and she shakes her head at Josie, "You're terrible."

"I can't believe you really _confused_ our headmistress into agreeing with you breaking curfew," It takes all of Josie's strength not to fall into another laughing fit, "Only you, Pen- literally _only you_."

  


"Thanks," Penelope says dryly, but her lips are twitching and Josie can practically see that smile coming, "I love being the only one capable of doing mind-blowing things, anyways."

"You would," Josie grins and Penelope shakes her head again, paired with a smooth eyeroll.

A beat passes which Josie uses to sober up from the unexpected but very much appreciated humor of this situation. Then she reaches out to where Penelope's hand is tracing mindless patterns on the blanket, covers it with her own, holding it tight.

  


Sparkling eyes flick up to meet her, questioning and curious. Josie smiles, lets the gravity and the meaning of Penelope's gesture settle over her heart, warming up her entire being inside out.

  


"Thank you," She whispers, her gaze never wavering from Penelope's, "For what you did. For going through all the trouble of asking my mom for permission and making the effort of setting this whole thing up. For always doing things you don't _have_ to do but you do them because it's for _me_. For always being here and knowing that I _need_ you to be here even when I don't know it myself. And for always noticing and listening and caring, and for being the _only_ exception. I don't know why you care so much for me but I know that I'm not really worth all that and-"

  


"You have _no_ idea how much you're worth, Josie," Penelope doesn't let her finish, her tone defiant, "And nothing makes me sadder than knowing that you don't think of yourself worth caring for. You don't believe that someone should take care of you, including yourself. And I want you to, I need you to understand that you deserve to take care of yourself. You deserve to put yourself first too, more than anyone else. You deserve to think of yourself first and do things for yourself. But I also know that you're too far behind on that and that there's a lot of years’ worth of self-neglect on your part and it can't be overcome so quick. And until that happens, I'll take care of you. I'll think of you first, I'll put you first, I'll do things for you that you can't do for yourself yet. I'll do it all for you because I believe you're worth it. I _know_ you are."

Josie's heart beats a frantic tattoo against her ribs, faster and faster with each word that comes from Penelope. The fluttering in her stomach is insane, out of control and her hands seem to shake a little. She feels lightheaded all of a sudden and there's something blooming in her chest, an emotion like a flower in the sun and she doesn't recognize it, doesn't know where to place it, what to call it or how to navigate it. And sitting there, fingers laced through with Penelope's, she just wants to say something in return; wants to find a way to voice the storm of emotions raging in her bloodstream and to tell Penelope how much it all means to her, how much she means to her.

But the words just fall short at the tip of her tongue because she doesn't know which ones to say. She doesn't know the words to grace the way Penelope has just made her feel, the way Penelope always makes her feel. 

  


"Thank you," Gratitude is the only emotion she can grasp at in a whirlwind of emotions inside her chest and she tightens her hold on Penelope's hand, "It's not enough, it could _never_ be, nothing could ever be, but just- thank you."

The corners of Penelope's green eyes crinkle and she gives Josie a smile that makes Josie's heart sing, "Anything for you, Josie. Always."

Then she let's go of her hand, gesturing at her to finish her food. Josie obliges, focuses back on her meal but she can't help stealing glances at her girlfriend, who's now leaning back on her hands, her legs stretched out in front of her and head tilted back to watch the sky. And the moonlight just hits her so right like that, illuminating all the angles and edges of her face and she looks like a piece of artwork so stunning, Josie forgets how to breathe- and the only thing she can think of is that she wants to stop the clocks and be able to look at Penelope like this until time doesn't remain.

"Speaking of the pageant, though," Penelope says into the silence after a while, stirring Josie from her thoughts, "You mentioned Lizzie wanting to compete and win since forever; don't you want to as well?"

"Not really," Josie shakes her head slightly, puts her plate down, "I've never really wanted to participate. It just doesn't seem like something I'd enjoy. And besides, Lizzie would be competing and I don't want to compete against her." 

Penelope turns her head to look at Josie, her expression thoughtful and her eyes on Josie's face are imploring.

"Yeah," She says after a solid minute of observing Josie and her tone is laced with something akin to disappointment, "I didn't think you would."

  


Josie blinks, not quite getting what Penelope's talking about, confused by the sudden change in her tone.

  


"And besides, I think it's good that you won't be participating," Penelope continues a beat later, her voice losing it's earlier tone and shifting back to the playful lilt that is her signature, "This whole pageant seems to be designed solely to pit women against women; it endorses that agenda and it's high time the residents of this ghost town stop enabling this archaic atrocity and move to better things with some sort of moral values."

  


Josie's so caught off guard by Penelope's abrupt rant that it takes her a couple seconds to grasp what Penelope has actually said and when she gets the hang of it, she dissolves into another bout of laughter.

  


"Babe," She manages once the laughs subside a little, "It's just a stupid little pageant. I promise you it's not that deep."

The curve of Penelope's mouth is amused as she watches Josie and it quirks up another fraction when she shrugs, "It's still the death of feminism."

Josie laughs again, lets it go because she knows the feminist in Penelope Park too well; knows how passionate her girlfriend is about this particular aspect of life, knows not to question anything Penelope believes in about the ways women in their world should exist.

  


It takes a moment before Penelope makes a fleeting comment about something and they fall back into their rhythm, easy conversations that flow like the river, going from one topic to another to another and another, laughter bubbling in their throats and smiles leaping on their lips; some moments their conversations tumble into solemn topics and then it switches and they're cracking up the next moment without even realizing because it's just that easy for the two of them to exist together.

  


And watching Penelope laugh under the starlight, Josie thinks she wants to exist this way, with this girl, for as long as she's meant to exist in this world.

Once they finish eating, they work together to pack everything back up in the basket, hands wiped clean on napkins as they bicker back and forth about Penelope calling Josie a dumbass for watching horror movies again and again even though she always ends up one breath away from a heart attack every time she watches one.

" _Every single time_ , Jo," Penelope rolls her eyes as she shuts the flap on the basket close, "Every single time you watch one of those crappy movies, freak the hell out ten minutes into them, rant to me about how you're never watching another one ever again and then two days later, you're watching yet another one and crying to me about it."

"Shut up," Josie grumbles, failing to hide her embarrassment, "I don't _cry_ to you about them, please."

Penelope puts the basket aside, grins at Josie, "I have receipts."

Not having any rebuttals for that, Josie responds by throwing a rolled-up napkin at her girlfriend.

  


Penelope catches the ball of paper and opens the basket again to toss it inside, "This is the part where you lie to me _and_ yourself and say that you won't watch another horror flick again."

"I'm not gonna say that," Josie scoffs, leans back on her palms, legs outstretched, "What's the point anyways?"

"True," Penelope mirrors her posture, leaning back next to Josie, close enough so their shoulders brush, "Glad we got that sorted. I mean, took you about ten thousand lies and equal numbers of near seizures, but I'm glad we got that sorted."

Instead to replying, Josie just shoves her and Penelope responds by tickling her and before they know it, they're sprawled out on the blanket- Josie on her back with Penelope's head resting on her stomach, their faces upturned to the sky and their breaths lost in laughter.

They lay there in silence after that, watching the moon peering down at them- half a piece of silver, swimming in an ocean of dark. The wind is still cold but Josie doesn't feel it all that much; she's warm and her hands are buried in Penelope's hair, playing in the soft strands and her blood is singing in her veins and it's okay- it's _better_ than okay and nothing in the world can take away this comfort from her right now.

Her eyes are glued to the sky as she gazes at the trillions of stars mapped out overhead, lost in thought when a sudden movement catches her eye, breaking her out of her calm stupor. For a second she thinks she’s imagined it, blinks a couple times, rakes her eyes over the sky in search of catching another glimpse of whatever it was. But everything is still and silent and just as she starts to think she may very well have imagined it, it happens again.

A streak of silver racing across the sky above, disappearing at the edge.

" _Pen_ ," Josie gasps, her fingers stilling in her girlfriend's hair, "Penelope, did you see that?"

"Hmm?" Penelope sounds a little distracted and Josie knows her well enough to know that she's just opened her eyes, "What happened?"

"There was something in the sky," Josie says, eyes desperately drawing over the stretch of dark above them, "Something flashed across it."

" _Oh?_ " Penelope sits up instantly, head inching back to look up, "It's started already?"

Josie stares at her, " _What's_ started already?"

Penelope doesn't reply straightaway, instead her eyes scour the clouds for god knows what. Josie reaches a hand out, tugs at one of Penelope's.

"Penelope," She urges, "What are you talking about?"

In response, Penelope pulls at her hand right back, forcing her to sit up and points upwards, "Look."

Uncertain, Josie obliges; neck craning back to watch the sky and the sight that meets her eyes, knocks the air from her lungs.

Flecks of ivory and silver streak across the ink black sky, faster than lightening; one, two, four, six, twelve- growing in numbers by the seconds, racing each other like sparks flying, leaving trails of white fire in their wake before disappearing out of sight at the horizon.

Josie's heart leaps in her chest, a soft gasp spilling from her without her even realizing it, "Is this a-"

"Meteor shower," Penelope says, quiet as a whisper, "Yeah."

With immense struggle, Josie tears her eyes away from the rainfall of stars and fixates them on her girlfriend's face, "How did you know about this?"

"I did my research," Penelope gives a minute shrug, "I've had my eyes on this one for months."

Josie opens her mouth, then closes it, then opens it again, "Why?"

"Because you believe in wishing on shooting stars and on 11:11's and stray eyelashes," Penelope's face is a picture of soft moonlight and warm affection, "I see you when you catch an 11:11 and make a wish and the way you smile afterwards. I also see you when you miss one of them and I see the way your shoulders droop when you realize it. Remember in May, when we were in the middle of our astronomy lesson and there was a shooting star but you missed it by a couple seconds? I remember how crestfallen you were that you had. After that day, I started looking up forecasts about when the next meteor shower was gonna be and I found out about this one and I've been waiting you to show this to you ever since- a shower of shooting stars for every wish you've ever missed out on."

Josie stares at the other girl in a trance, struck completely speechless. Once again, she doesn't know what to say, has no idea what words to use in response to the words as sweet as the ones that have just been spoken to her. So she settles for breathing out the name that's thundering in her heartbeats, fluttering like a pulse,

"Penelope." Her voice comes out strained- a little breathless, a lot wondrous.

Shrugging her shoulders, Penelope raises her arms slightly, palms upturned to the skies,

"Make a wish, Jojo," Her lips are tugged upwards in a smile brighter than a damn supernova, "Make as many wishes as you want."

And Josie looks at Penelope in that moment and at the pure affection that pours from every single one of her words and gestures and actions, now and always- and thinks of the way she goes well and beyond her extents to make sure Josie is put first and taken care of and loved and appreciated; the way her eyes shine for Josie and Josie _alone_ , the way she wears her heart on her sleeve for Josie so that Josie never feels like she's being riddled or kept in the dark or being dealt in crosswords, left to figure out every emotion by herself, the way it’s _Josie_ before the whole world for her, the way it’s _Josie_ before even _herself_ , the way she makes Josie feel solid and free and unafraid and more than anything else, the way she makes Josie feel _enough_.

She looks at the shooting stars and then looks back at Penelope, who’s smiling at her in a way that’s reserved just for her and every atom, every fiber in Josie’s being comes alive to wish for one thing and one thing only; _You. You. You_.

Josie closes her eyes and the world disappears and she asks for the only thing that remains.

Penelope.

  


Penelope and the way she cares for Josie.

Penelope and the way she feels for Josie.

Penelope and the way she makes Josie feel.

Penelope and her ocean eyes and her blazing smile and her kind heart that she keeps hidden under wraps and her gentle soul and her passion, her intensity, her everything.

Penelope. Penelope. Penelope. For infinity.

When she opens her eyes again, she finds Penelope looking at her with a shadow of a smile and the way her eyes catch the spark of a plunging star, Josie thinks Penelope knows what she's wished for. Despite having witnessed Josie making hundreds and hundreds of wishes on 11:11's, Penelope has never asked Josie to divulge them to her and looking at her now, Josie thinks she knows- that she's _always_ known yet still never asked.

Penelope quirks a sharp eyebrow, reaching out to bop Josie gently on the nose, "Asked for anything fancy?"

The sober spell of the moment breaks and Josie swats at Penelope's hand, causing her to laugh loudly.

"You're _so_ annoying," Josie grumbles, in hopes of getting irritated- mostly to mask all the unnamed, unknown and foreign emotions that are suddenly swarming her mind, setting her heart racing wild and sending her spiraling.

Penelope winks, "I know."

Josie resists the urge to grin and settles for a noncommittal hum, gesturing at the sky, "I thought you didn't believe in all this wishing stuff."

"No, but _you_ do," Penelope's voice is soft again, losing the playfulness in a heartbeat, "and that's reason enough."

And Josie is left speechless yet again, dumbfounded in the face of such raw affection and gentleness.

Without another word, Penelope gets to her feet, a silhouette against dark skies and falling stars, looking every bit like she belongs on a painting worthy of museums.

Josie watches, mesmerized, as Penelope holds a hand out to her, lips quirked up in a playful smile, "Care for a dance, Miss Saltzman?"

"What?" Josie blinks, mind and heart racing alike, too fast for her to fully comprehend the newest switch in conversation.

"I love slow dances and so do you," Penelope tilts her head and her smile widens a fraction, perfect features flooding with amusement, "And after all, _'to be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love.'_ ”

Josie's heart stutters, comes to a hesitant pause, then picks up again- beating faster than it ever has, so much so that it makes her entire chest vibrate. She knows Penelope is quoting _Pride and Prejudice_ again, knows she doesn't quite mean it in a literal way at all, knows she's not talking about the two of them- and yet Josie can't help but think about how it sounds so much like an invitation, a silent challenge; like a promise to something new, something unknown yet exhilarating, something theirs for keeping, something for the ages.

So she decides to take the leap, reaches out and places her hand in the outstretched one held out for her to take- accepting whatever Penelope is offering to her and putting her faith and herself in whatever Penelope is asking of her.

Soft fingers curl around her palm as they guide her to her feet and she follows Penelope's lead as they slip their shoes back on and continue down to the bank of the lake. Josie's heart is beating quick and ecstatic, nearly leaping out of her ribcage, all her senses and thoughts and attention focused solely on where her hand is captured in Penelope's. And the noise and chaos of her heart in the silence of the night is so unnerving to her that just to drown out the havoc her heart is wreaking, threatening to drive her crazy, she blurts out the first thing that comes to her mind,

"How are we going to dance with no music playing?"

She wants to facepalm herself when Penelope throws her a glance over her shoulder and pauses near the water, close enough so Josie can see their reflections on the surface of the lake,

"We don't need music," Penelope tugs gently and Josie automatically moves to cover the small distance between them, pulled into Penelope's orbit like a magnet, pulled like a lost heart guided home.

Her free hand ends up on Penelope's collarbone, the edge of her index finger pressed against the pulse beating in her girlfriend's neck, while her other hand is still entwined with Penelope's. Her breath hitches a little when her own heart skips a beat to match the beat of Penelope's pulse and it doesn't go unnoticed by the shorter girl. It brings a tiny smile to Penelope's face, full of knowing and sheer joy and Josie's whole world seems to stop turning, pausing to exist just in Penelope’s smile right there.

Penelope puts her unoccupied hand on Josie's back, just under her ribcage next to her spine and the smile she bestows on her, lights Josie up from within, "You and I, we're going to dance to our heartbeats."

And when she moves a step forward, Josie moves with her; she can hear her own heartbeats and she can feel the drum of Penelope's heart under her hand and they fall into a pattern almost instantly, slow dancing under the falling stars to the rhythm provided by the song of their hearts.

Josie can see their intertwined reflections, rippling across the face of the lake, shimmering under the moonlight; in that reflection, she can see herself and Penelope dancing in-between two expanses of dark, drowning in the reflection of the cascading stars and when she raises her eyes again, Penelope is looking at her with a universe of light and emotions glowing in those ocean eyes- and it’s just too much to bear. Josie takes one trembling breath, closes her eyes and let's go.

She let's go and there, dancing beneath an endless sky, surrounded by falling leaves and falling stars, Josie Saltzman falls in love with Penelope Park.

Her hands are on Penelope and Penelope is looking at her and Penelope is coursing in her veins like blood and suddenly it all makes sense; suddenly every feeling finds a name, every emotion finds a home in curve of Penelope’s smile and Josie wants to kiss her and tell her _I love you_ ; _I love you and I love you and I am in love with you._

She wants to own the feeling, to embrace the words and let them spill. She isn’t scared to say them, not to Penelope- she's not scared, in fact, she’s never felt more brave, more in control, more safe with how she feels right now. And she needs Penelope to know; she needs Penelope to know that she’s fallen, that she’s _still_ falling- harder, faster and farther than the stars falling around them.

She wants to say it all, right there in that very breath, but doesn't. She steels herself and saves the admission for another day, holds the words of confession back for another moment- something she would design herself for Penelope in a way that's worthy of a girl like that.

For now though, she chooses to close her eyes and lean their foreheads together and her grip on Penelope tightens as they dance slow and soft, like the flow of the water’s currents beside them. Her lips brush against Penelope’s mouth once and then Penelope’s hand is moving up her spine to curve around the side of her jaw, her lips pressing back against Josie’s- gentle, tender and mindful.

Josie doesn’t know how long the kiss lasts, thinks it only lasted a few moments but feels as though it was stretched over an eternity. Penelope leaves a soft kiss against Josie’s cheek, then one on the tip of her nose and then one on her forehead- her fingertips pressed gently against the back of Josie’s neck.

  


  


"You mean so much to me, Penelope," She whispers against the corner of Penelope's mouth, hands grasping at the girl like she's the only thing keeping her afloat, keeping her from tumbling, "Words aren't enough, time isn't enough- nothing is enough to encompass everything you mean to me. But I want you to know that everything you are, everything you do, everything you've ever been is everything I've ever needed. The whole world on one hand and I'd give it up, just so you can be with me. You mean more than words, more than the world to me. And I want you to know that. I need you to know that. I'm not good with words like you are, but for you, I'll try to be better with them everyday. And while I try, I need you to know that even if words aren't there, even if words contradict, what I feel for you is the reason I have happiness in my heart."

Penelope pulls away, hazel green eyes filling up with surprise- it's pleasant but she looks thrown off. She stares at Josie for the longest moment, gaze boring into her skin, trying to understand the depth of Josie's words. Then she smiles; a bright, radiant spark of light that seems to set the world on fire. She leans in and kisses Josie again, slower and more firm, taking her time to let it penetrate Josie's skin.

  


  


"I know."

  


Josie moves, wraps her arms around Penelope, burying her face in the curve of the girl's neck, breathes her in like air. Penelope returns the embrace, her hands running smooth, comforting patterns all over Josie's back, murmuring soft words of solace.

  


  


And Josie doesn’t know what comes over her in that moment; a sudden thought of someday waking up into a day without Penelope in her world. She doesn’t understand where it came from, seemingly out of nowhere and without reason but it makes her heart shatter like crystal. The thought of having to let Penelope go someday, to watch her walk away; the thought of having to live a life that would not have Penelope Park’s witty brilliance and her guiding light to keep Josie from going astray, it wrings the oxygen from her lungs, making her feel like she’s going to choke.

Josie Saltzman doesn’t know much about love, or joy, or pain, or loss or all the colors that paint the picture called life but she does know that if one day Penelope Park isn’t there to lead her through, she would lose her way and she would lose it terribly.

"Don't ever leave, Pen." The words leave her in an uncontrolled rush yet still get stuck in her throat, clogging her breath, "I don’t know how you do it, how you manage it. Just stay. With me. Don't leave."

"I'll stay," Penelope pulls back again and her lips brush Josie's cheekbone, soft and cool, her touch on her grounding and solid, "I will stay until I can't."

Josie opens her eyes at the strange choice of words. It's not a dismissal but it's not a promise either; or at least, not a promise made in the usual, common way. She doesn't know how to respond to that except ask the one thing that makes the most sense to her,

"And how long would that be?"

Penelope leans her face back half an inch and smiles, soft and silver, "It would be as long as _you_ keep being my _reason_ to stay."

  


  


  


**Author's Note:**

> i swear to god i'm never trying my hand at this ever again


End file.
